Mentally challenged woman raped, one held

A mentally challenged woman was allegedly raped by a man in Panna. The incident occurred in front of the collectorate here on Friday night.

The incident was witnessed by a lawyer who was passing by the area. He then called police and later lodged a formal complaint. Police have arrested the accused, Om Prakash Patel, and booked him for rape.

Police sources said that the woman was living at Jaystambh Park, which is located in front of the collectorate for last three years. On Friday night, at around 11 pm, when she was sitting in the park, the accused Om Prakash Patel made sexual advances towards her.

A lawyer, Ramroop Tiwari, who was passing from the road immediately called police. Police rushed to the spot but had left the victim there and only registered a case under Section 151. On Saturday morning, when social activists of the city started raising voice against the incident, police sent the woman for medical examination and the rape case was registered. The Panna police are conducting investigation in this regard. BARWAH: A day after an eightyear-old tribal rape victim was made to take part in a demonstration organised by Khargone district Women’s Congress, the district women’s commission member and Barwah-Sanawad in- charge Jyoti Yeotikar has called for a report and photograph of the rally from the local police.

Speaking to HT, Yeotikar said once we get the report from the local police station, we will take appropriate action against those involved in the matter.

The Congress party’s decision to include the minor rape victim in the demonstration has come in for sharp criticism from all quarters.

Taking a dig at district Congress president Ahilya Bhalerao, who led the rally, Ye o t i k a r s a i d , “P r o t e s t for justice is a different thing. If they ( Congress) really wanted justice for her, why did they take her along with them in the rally?”

“They are claiming that they had not called her and that it was her family who had brought her to the event, then why did they put her in the foreground during the rally,” Yeotikar questioned.

Meanwhile, on Saturday Barwah police once again raided the Sulgaon forest area in search of the accused involved in the crime.

On January 19, the victim was raped in Sulgaon, 12km from Barwah. The accused Phulchand Tadvi who was drunk at the time took her to a deserted place and then raped her. Barwah police is still clueless about the Tadvi’s whereabouts.